Do you struggle to fall sleep or wake up during the night and can’t go back to sleep? Do you lie in bed, tossing and turning for hours every night?Do you dread going to bed because you feel like you never get a good night’s sleep?

If your answer is yes, then you may have insomnia. It is a very common sleep disorder that can also impact your daytime performance. A number of treatment options, including behavioral treatment and medications are effective in improving insomnia symptoms.

Restless Legs Syndrome: Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), also called Willis-Ekbom disease, happens when you feel like you have to move your legs, especially before going to bed. You may also feel burning or itching inside your legs.

RLS can make it very hard for you to go to sleep.

Sleep Walking/Sleep Talking

Sleep walking is a condition in which a person walks while he or she is asleep. It happens more often in children than adults. In some cases a person will talk in sleep and will have no recollection about it after waking up. Sleep walking and sleep talking may indicate an underlying disorder.

Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders

Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorders are characterized by sleep disturbance due to misalignment between the environment and the individual’s sleep wake cycle.

Narcolepsy is a disorder that makes a person sleepy most of the time. People with narcolepsy sometimes fall asleep all of sudden, even when they don’t expect to.They can even fall asleep while they are in the middle of activities, such as eating, talking, or driving.

Other symptoms include suddenly going limp, or feeling week (especially when excited, angry, or laughing), and unable to move or speak in the few moments right after waking or just falling asleep.

Have a question for Dr. Bhat?Dr. Bhat believes your doctor should be available for you. Feel free to ask him any of your sleep issue related questions.